From the Office of Public Affairs | http://www.news.ku.edu

 

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Editors: Note students from Dodge City, Lawrence, Leawood, Overland Park and WaKeeney as well as Platte City, Missouri.

 

Contact: Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, KU News Service, 785-864-8858, [email protected], @ebpkansas

KU recognizes 14 students with 2024 University Awards

 

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas has awarded 14 students with honors that recognize community engagement, leadership and academics. The University Awards, among the most prestigious awards presented at KU, were established to recognize students who embody service excellence, dedication or whose academic achievements are stellar.

Class of 1913 Awards

These annual awards go to two graduating students who show evidence of intelligence, devotion to studies, personal character and promise of usefulness to society.

Fatima Asif is a senior from Overland Park majoring in both biochemistry and English.

“I am honored to be recognized for my accomplishments at KU, which would not have been possible without the support of my family and professors throughout the last four years,” Asif said.

“I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to my mentors, who not only encouraged me to explore my wide-ranging interests but also inspired me to become a better scholar and person.

“KU has provided me with invaluable opportunities to pursue meaningful work that I hope to continue in my future endeavors.”

Aditya Vargheese is a senior from Overland Park majoring in biochemistry and mathematics with a minor in business. Vargheese is thankful for professors, mentors, family and friends for their support.

“At KU, I had the opportunity to explore my interests academically while being a part of service organizations where I could get involved with the community,” Vargheese said.

“These experiences helped me grow as both a student and as a leader, and I hope I have been able to inspire my peers to continue our work.

“I am honored to receive this award and hope that I can carry the lessons I learned at KU with me in the future.”

The Donald K. Alderson Memorial Award

The award goes to a graduating senior who has demonstrated loyalty to and interest in the university and who has been active in events and services that benefit other students. This award was established in memory of Alderson, former dean of men and dean of student services.

Curtis Nelson is a senior from Overland Park majoring in architectural engineering.

“Serving the KU and Lawrence community has been incredibly fulfilling,” Nelson said. I’m deeply grateful for the support of my mentors, advisers and family empowering me to be the change and representation I want to see in the world.

“I am thankful for Phi Iota Alpha, Theta Tau and TRIO/McNair scholars, which helped shape me into the proud Black engineer I am today.”

The Alexis F. Dillard Student Involvement Award

This award goes to two graduating students who have unselfishly contributed to the university through campus involvement. It was established in 1993 by Dillard’s family and friends to remember and honor him.

Hassan Ahad is a senior from Overland Park majoring in microbiology with a minor in chemistry.

“I am eternally grateful for the mentors, peers and friends I have had the pleasure of interacting with here at KU,” Ahad said.

“They continually inspire me to strive for personal greater heights and ultimately motivate me to give back to the community in whatever way I can.

“I truly would not be the person I am today without my experiences at KU, and I hope to one day inspire others the way they have inspired me.”

Aisha Malik is a senior from Leawood majoring in speech-language-hearing.

Malik said having been immersed in the Honors Program and in diverse interdisciplinary pursuits fostered deep engagement in the “vibrant tapestry” of campus life.

“I’m deeply thankful for the guiding light of God, the unwavering support of my family, the wisdom imparted by my professors and the invaluable mentorship I’ve received,” Malik said.

“But above all, my time here has been defined by a clear sense of purpose: to uplift others, to serve my community and to inspire each person I encounter to strive for their fullest potential.”

The Rusty Leffel Concerned Student Award

This award annually goes to students who demonstrate a concern for furthering the ideals of the university and higher education. The award was established by a group of seniors in 1973 to honor their fellow student, Leffel.

Lesli Koffi is a senior from Denver majoring in architecture and with a minor in business.

Koffi said that being a part of organizations like GEMS (Gifted, Empowered, Motivated Sisters), Black Student Union and others provided confidence and strength to become a better leader, student and person.

“I want to give a huge thank you and kudos to all the organizations that have welcomed me with open arms and pushed me to achieve more than I could ever imagine,” Koffi said.

“Biggest thanks to my mentors and faculty members Nikita Haynie, Paige Freeman and Jordan Brandt. These are three women who have empowered me and believed in me in ways I could never explain.”

Cherin Russell is a senior majoring in English from Lawrence.

“I am thankful for all the support I’ve received from my mentors, family and friends who encourage me,” Russell said.

“It is a blessing to represent my community and campus, and I’m so grateful for the trust and belief that many peers have shown me.”

Aakanchcha Raj is a doctoral student in architecture from India anticipating to graduate in December.

“Having received this award validates my work as a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Kansas and motivates me to work even harder for the communities I engage with in my research,” Raj said.

“The University of Kansas has provided me with a platform to bridge the gap between research and community participation, and I am grateful for this opportunity to give back to communities by listening to their stories and helping change the narrative for the better.”

The Caryl K. Smith Student Leader Award

This award goes to a graduating sorority or fraternity member who has demonstrated commitment to the local chapter, the KU sorority and fraternity community, the university and the Lawrence community. It was established in 1993 to honor Smith, a former dean of student life.

Libby Frost is a senior from WaKeeney majoring in business administration.

Frost said she is thankful for a support system of family, friends and mentors — including Caitlyn Gastfield and Keith Chauvin — for creating an “amazing” undergraduate experience.

“I also owe a huge debt of gratitude to my chapter, Alpha Delta Pi, for always lifting me up and being my ‘home away from home’ throughout college. The Panhellenic community at KU has been a constant source of encouragement and inspiration, and I feel so fortunate to have been able to serve it.”

The Kathryn Nemeth Tuttle Student Scholar Award

This award is presented to a graduating senior scholarship hall student. Recipients have demonstrated academic focus, leadership in the scholarship hall and commitment to the KU and Lawrence communities.

Emma Jones is senior from Platte City, Missouri, majoring in environmental studies with a minor in sport management.

Jones said that being part of the scholarship hall community has been life-changing.

“Here, I have met individuals who I will be friends with long after my time being a student Jayhawk,” Jones said. “Additionally, (I’ve been) able to continue the legacy of Elizabeth Miller-Watkins — whose mission was to support women in their academic endeavors by providing them with affordable housing — by serving as a member of the Watkins Hall Executive Board.”

The Agnes Wright Strickland Awards

These awards were established in 1953 in memory of Strickland, a member of the Class of 1887. They go annually to graduating seniors in recognition of their academic records, demonstrated leadership in matters of university concern, respect among fellow students and indications of future dedication to service in the university.

Rileigh Heeke is a senior from Dodge City majoring in both political science and history with a minor in women, gender & sexuality studies. Heeke said life-changing experiences, opportunities for growth and constant support at KU have come from places like the Department of History and the Student Ambassador Program.

“I cannot imagine what my undergraduate journey would look like without such an extensive community behind me along the way,” Heeke said. “They have offered the ability to develop academically and professionally, but most importantly, they have made me feel valued at an individual level. I am so incredibly fortunate to receive such an honor from the institution that I love from the bottom of my heart.”

Thanh Tan Nguyen is a senior from Vietnam majoring in business. Having arrived in Lawrence in fall 2020, Nguyen feels fortunate to be part of a strong college community that takes pride in uplifting each other.

“My commitment to enriching the student experience at KU started with the support gifted upon me by my first-year roommates: Jackson Rauenzahn, Karson Mustain and Wyatt George,” Nguyen said. “They helped me understand what it felt like to be a Jayhawk and to help others. This award encourages me to do my best job in representing KU to the world and empowering aspiring Jayhawks.”

Campanile Award

The Campanile Award is given to a single graduating senior who has displayed remarkable leadership, character and respect for KU.

Eleazar Abraham is a senior from Indonesia majoring in both chemistry and molecular, cellular & developmental biology with a minor in global & international studies. Abraham said KU offered opportunities to be challenged and to excel. Abraham expressed gratitude for support from family, friends and KU faculty mentors and advisers.

“From community service to scientific research, the opportunities at KU have shaped who I am and what I am excited to be in the future,” Abraham said. “The unmatched school spirit KU has instilled in me is something that I hold dearly. I am eternally grateful to be a Jayhawk and will always be a Jayhawk as I go through my next steps in life as an aspiring scientist.”

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KU News Service

1450 Jayhawk Blvd.

Lawrence KS 66045

Phone: 785-864-3256

Fax: 785-864-3339

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http://www.news.ku.edu

 

Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

 

Today’s News is a free service from the Office of Public Affairs

 

From the Office of Public Affairs | http://www.news.ku.edu

Media advisory

Contact: Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, KU News Service, 785-864-8858, [email protected], @ebpkansas

Information for news media covering University of Kansas Class of 2024 Commencement

 

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas invites news media to cover the university’s Commencement ceremony May 12 for the Class of 2024.

The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. as graduates begin the traditional “walk down the Hill” to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, followed by a program and the conferral of degrees by Chancellor Douglas A. Girod.

News media photographers will need KU credentials to shoot from the photo pen on the Campanile plaza and to get inside the stadium. News organization credentials alone will not suffice. To receive KU credentials, email Erinn Barcomb-Peterson by noon May 8.

Construction on the stadium that is part of KU’s larger Gateway District means guests will be seated entirely on the east side of the stadium, with some overflow seating available on the field if needed. All graduates will enter the stadium on the east side before being seated on the field.

A few other things to keep in mind:

Members of the news media are welcome to capture photos or video of the events from any publicly accessible area.
The graduates will be seated on the field facing south. Limited roaming in the graduate seating area is allowed; however, photographers may not photograph on or from the dais.
Because of space constraints, media members may not bring large video cameras with tripods into the photo pen.
Only graduates and the university’s official photographers from KU Marketing are allowed to walk through the Campanile.
Unmanned aerial systems, including drones — other than those of official photographers from KU Marketing — are not allowed.
Nearly 2,300 parking stalls are available a short distance from the stadium, and a complimentary shuttle service will run May 12.
Additional details, including an inclement weather plan, are available at the Commencement website.

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KU News Service

1450 Jayhawk Blvd.

Lawrence KS 66045

Phone: 785-864-3256

Fax: 785-864-3339

[email protected]

http://www.news.ku.edu

 

Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

 

Today’s News is a free service from the Office of Public Affairs

 

 

From the Office of Public Affairs | http://www.news.ku.edu

Headlines

KU announces new 2024-2025 Self Memorial Scholars

LAWRENCE – Twenty-two students have been selected to receive the University of Kansas Madison and Lila Self Memorial Scholarship, a merit-based, $10,000 award given to outstanding seniors from KU who will transition into their first year of a graduate program at the university in fall 2024. Recipients include students from Emporia, Hutchinson, Kansas City, Lawrence, Leavenworth, Olathe, Overland Park, Topeka and Wichita.

Contemplating eco-catastrophe through Spanish science fiction lens

LAWRENCE – The “deep, existential malaise” stemming from fear of impending ecological catastrophe has permeated science fiction around the globe, a University of Kansas professor writes in a new journal article. In his work Miguel Ángel Albújar-Escuredo compares the 2018 Spanish-language novel “Fafner,” by Daniel Perez Navarro, to a 2014 English-language novel with a similar theme, “Annihilation,” by Jeff Vandermeer.

Full stories below.

 

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Contact: Daniel Rivera, Self Graduate Fellowship, 785-864-7249, [email protected], @Selfgraduate

KU announces new 2024-2025 Self Memorial Scholars

 

LAWRENCE – Twenty-two students have been selected to receive the University of Kansas Madison and Lila Self Memorial Scholarship for the 2024-2025 academic year.

The Self Memorial Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship that is awarded to outstanding seniors from KU who will be transitioning into their first year of a master’s or doctoral degree program at KU in the fall 2024 semester. Students who were selected demonstrated achievement in leadership and scholarship, capable of envisioning and attaining goals that require energy and tenacity. The Self Memorial Scholarship provides each recipient with a $10,000 scholarship award, $1,000 professional development award, leadership and career development training, and an opportunity to be a part of an interdisciplinary cohort of graduate students. The leadership and career development training, the Scholar Development Program, complements the specialized education and training provided by the graduate programs.

Madison “Al” and Lila Self were deeply motivated by the idea that developing and investing in young leaders was vital for a successful future. The Selfs began their legacy of supporting graduate students in 1989 with the establishment of the Madison and Lila Self Graduate Fellowship. Since 1991, the Self Graduate Fellowship has supported over 200 doctoral students.

The Self Memorial Scholarship was launched and permanently endowed in 2014. The first Scholars were awarded in 2018. Since 2018, the scholarship has supported nearly 100 graduate students. The overall mission of Self Graduate Programs is to provide funding and development opportunities for exceptional graduate students who demonstrate the promise to make significant contributions to their field of study and society as a whole.

The 2024-25 Self Memorial Scholars:

Bhupen Adhikari of Kathmandu, Nepal: bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from KU; incoming master’s student in mechanical engineering.
Saoirse Boyd of Lake Villa, Illinois: bachelor’s degree in speech-language-hearing from KU; incoming master’s student in speech-language pathology.
Niels Braaten of Lawrence: bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from KU; incoming master’s student in aerospace engineering.
Blake Bruno of Topeka: bachelor’s degree in accounting from KU; incoming master’s student in accounting.
Andrew Dodge of Wichita: bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from KU; incoming master’s student in aerospace engineering,
Anna Ferkul of Shakopee, Minnesota: bachelor’s degree in microbiology from KU; incoming doctoral student in interdisciplinary program in biomedical sciences, KU Medical Center.
Alexis Greenberg of Overland Park: bachelor’s degree in digital marketing communications from KU; incoming master’s student in project management.
Ella Hinson of Olathe: bachelor’s degree in social work from KU; incoming master’s student in social work.
Lisa Hoang of Kansas City, Missouri: bachelor’s degree in social work from KU; incoming master’s student in social work.
Mylo Johanes of Jakarta, Indonesia: bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from KU; incoming doctoral student in mechanical engineering.
Cailin Kessen of Paw Paw, Michigan: bachelor’s degree in ecology & evolutionary biology from KU; incoming doctoral student in ecology & evolutionary biology.
Ava Lemon of Topeka: bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from KU; incoming master’s student in accounting.
Faith Lopez of Leavenworth: bachelor’s degree in social work from KU; incoming master’s student in social work.
Aisha Malik of Itasca, Illinois: bachelor’s degree in speech-language-hearing from KU; incoming master’s student in speech-language pathology.
Josh Navarro of Hutchinson: bachelor’s degrees in political science and public administration from KU; incoming master’s student in public affairs & administration.
Nicholas Niemann of Castle Pines, Colorado: bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from KU; incoming master’s student in business administration.
Gabriela Ruiz of Overland Park: bachelor’s degrees in English, humanities and economics from KU; incoming master’s student in economics.
Cherin Russell of Lawrence: bachelor’s degree in English from KU; incoming master’s student in English.
Clarice Sabolay of Belleville, Illinois: bachelor’s degree in chemical & petroleum engineering from KU; incoming doctoral student in chemical & petroleum engineering.
Benjamin Shaw of Overland Park: bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from KU; incoming master’s student in business administration.
Aaron Thomas of Emporia: bachelor’s degree in public administration from KU; incoming master’s student in public affairs & administration.
Elise Wehrmann of St. Peters, Missouri: bachelor’s degree in exercise science, minor in business from KU; incoming doctoral student in physical therapy, KU Medical Center.

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Contact: Rick Hellman, KU News Service, 785-864-8852, [email protected], @RickHellman

Contemplating eco-catastrophe through Spanish science fiction lens

 

LAWRENCE – The “deep, existential malaise” stemming from fear of impending ecological catastrophe has permeated science fiction around the globe, a University of Kansas professor writes in a new scholarly journal article.

An article in the literary journal Alambique, by Miguel Ángel Albújar-Escuredo, assistant teaching professor in KU’s Department of Spanish & Portuguese, compares the 2018 Spanish-language novel “Fafner,” by Daniel Perez Navarro, to a 2014 English-language novel with a similar theme, “Annihilation,” by Jeff Vandermeer.

Both works, Albújar-Escuredo writes, “propose a different relationship between human beings and the ecosystem in which we live.” He writes that such futurist concepts as “post-human” and “coexistence” with the nonhuman are “byproducts of this new mindset on what it means to be human in a world in perpetual crisis.”

“Fafner” follows the titular “feral” hunter-gatherer through a post-apocalyptic landscape until he encounters and is transformed by a “New Nature.”

The protagonists of Vandermeer’s “Annihilation” are a team of four women exploring strange phenomena associated with “Area X.”

Albújar-Escuredo writes that whereas Vandermeer’s “open purpose is proselytizing his new iteration of ecocriticism” and that his novel “provide(s) humans with some hope of surviving,” Perez Navarro’s novel, “in the end … reveals itself as an example of nihilistic and pessimistic cosmic horror.”

Albújar-Escuredo sees “profound ideological differences between both novels. ‘Annihilation’ rejects human supremacism, and ‘Fafner’ accepts it as the lesser evil until a greater one comes.”

Both, however, are bleak, the KU researcher concludes, and “offer very somber outcomes to the reader.”

Albújar-Escuredo, who joined the KU faculty in 2019, said he likes using science fiction to teach foreign language students and finds that they respond well to it.

“It can get very political,” he said. “It can lead to huge debate about moral and ethical issues. I think that’s also one of the missions of a public university — to try to make your students reflect and think about things that maybe they are not forced to consider in their daily lives.”

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KU News Service

1450 Jayhawk Blvd.

Lawrence KS 66045

Phone: 785-864-3256

Fax: 785-864-3339

[email protected]

http://www.news.ku.edu

 

Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

 

Today’s News is a free service from the Office of Public Affairs

From the Office of Public Affairs | http://www.news.ku.edu

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KU celebrates undergraduate research at annual symposium

LAWRENCE — More than 130 undergraduate students participated in the 27th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium earlier this month at the University of Kansas. Volunteer judges selected 28 individual presentations and three group presentations to receive Outstanding Presentation Awards. Honorees included Kansans from Atchison, Bel Aire, Kansas City, Lawrence, Olathe, Overland Park, Prairie Village, Salina, Shawnee, Topeka and Wichita.

 

Seven students receive Kansas Biological Survey Student Research Awards for 2024

LAWRENCE — The Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research at the University of Kansas has awarded $7,500 in funding this spring for student research to be conducted this year. Seven Jayhawks will receive assistance through the research center’s 2024 Student Research Award, including Annalise Guthrie, doctoral student from Kansas City, Missouri.

Researchers parse oddity of distantly related bats in Solomon Islands that appear identical

LAWRENCE — A study of body size in leaf-nosed bats of the Solomon Islands has revealed surprising genetic diversity among nearly indistinguishable species on different islands. The research team behind the study from the University of Melbourne, Australia, included several evolutionary biologists from the University of Kansas — who collected specimens in the field, conducted genetic analysis and co-wrote the research appearing in the journal Evolution.

 

Full stories below.

 

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Contact: Erin Wolfram, Academic Success, 785-864-2308, [email protected]

KU celebrates undergraduate research at annual symposium

 

LAWRENCE — More than 130 undergraduate students participated in the 27th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium at the University of Kansas. The symposium took place online April 15-19 and featured oral and poster presentations as well as artist talks and creative displays from many disciplines. Presentations can still be viewed on the symposium website.

In addition to the previously announced ACE Talks presentation winners, who each receive $500 and have their work featured on the symposium homepage, volunteer judges selected 28 individual presentations and three group presentations to receive Outstanding Presentation Awards. Honorees each receive a $50 award per presentation.

The 2024 Outstanding Presentation Award winners are listed by name, hometown, major, link to presentation, and mentor:

Individuals

Saha Ahmadian, Olathe, biochemistry, The Effect of L-Theanine on Glycogen Phosphorylase b, mentored by Roberto De Guzman.
Josh Burton, Olathe, biochemistry, Prednisone as an Activator of Glycogen Phosphorylase b, mentored by Roberto De Guzman.
Hannah Chern, Shawnee, chemistry and molecular, cellular & developmental biology, Leveraging Zebrafish and Electrochemistry to Search for Therapies to Delay Cognitive Decline, mentored by Romana Jarosova.
Isabella Crawford-Parker, Lawrence, global & international studies and political science, Religion in the Slavic Region in Generation-Z, mentored by Brian Lagotte.
Rylee Crowell, Atchison, biochemistry, The Effect of Humalog and Lantus Insulin Injectables on Glycogen Phosphorylase B, mentored by Roberto De Guzman.
Ashley Decker, Overland Park, architecture, The Americana Circus Museum, mentored by Kapila Silva.
Eric Haberman, Bel Aire, human biology, Subcloning and Cysteine Mutagenesis of the Transmembrane Regions of the Shigella IpaB Virulence Protein, mentored by Roberto De Guzman.
Jenna Hansen, Dallas, behavioral neuroscience, Restoring Rest: The Effects of Hormone Therapy on Sleep Quality, mentored by Amber Watts.
Tae Gyu Kang, Republic of Korea, psychology, Relationship Between Characteristics of Trauma Exposure and Symptom Severity, mentored by Jeffrey Girard.
Leslie Koffi, Aurora, Colorado, architecture, Museum of Black Feminism, mentored by Kapila Silva.
Cate Manning, Omaha, Nebraska, strategic communication and global & international studies, Rhetoric v. Reality: HS2 Decision-Making, mentored by Brian Lagotte.
Priscilla Munoz, Kansas City, Missouri, pre-clinical laboratory sciences, Comparing Molecular and Morphological Diversification of Shrews (Cryptotis Parvus) between the Florida Mainland and Florida Keys, mentored by Jocelyn Colella.
Trisha Nair, Overland Park, chemistry, Investigation of the Effects of pH and Ionic Strength on AuBP1 Peptide Binding, mentored by Cindy Berrie.
Alexys Peppers, Salina, global & international studies, THAAD is Bad?, mentored by Brian Lagotte.
Janie Rainer, Overland Park, microbiology and Spanish, Identifying the YesN Regulon of Enterococcus faecalis, mentored by Lynn Hancock.
Taylor Ross, Florissant, Missouri, global & international studies, Beyond the Binary: Investigating Gender in the Olympics, mentored by Brian Lagotte.
Devin Setiawan, Indonesia, Individualized Machine-learning-based Clinical Assessment Recommendation System (iCARE), mentored by Arian Ashourvan.
Helenna Shcherbinin, Overland Park, behavioral neuroscience, Partisanship and the Distribution of Moral Foundations Across Contexts, mentored by Monica Biernat.
Olivia Sourivong, Kansas City, Kansas, social work, Intergenerational Trauma, Domestic Violence, and the Potential for Healing: A qualitative study with service providers and activists who have worked with Lao domestic violence survivors, mentored by Claire Willey-Sthapit.
David Streiler, Prairie Village, biochemistry, Effects of Dihydroxy Berberine on the Activity of Glycogen Phosphorylase B, mentored by Roberto De Guzman, and Measurement Of Intracellular Reactive Nitrogen Species in Human Microglia Using Microchip Electrophoresis and Laser Induced Fluorescence, mentored by Sue Lunte.
Mason Thieu, Topeka, exercise science, Anthropometric And Physical Fitness Profiles of Youth Athletes, mentored by Quincy Johnson.
Isabel Vanlandingham, Wichita, photography, Toyland, mentored by Elise Kirk.
Farrukhbek Varisov, Uzbekistan, theatre performance and political science, Train Tickets, mentored by Laura Kirk.
Aidan Warner, Overland Park, psychology, A Critical Analysis of Environmentalist Organizations’ Engagement with Environmental Injustice, mentored by Trevor Lies.
Emily Whisenhunt, Alexandria, Virginia, global & international studies, FIFA’s Trek to Modernity: The Role of Muslim Women in Football, mentored by Brian Lagotte.
Grace Worden, Greensboro, North Carolina, photography, No Place Like Home, mentored by Elise Kirk.
Groups

Kailyn Alani, Ellie Preston, Alyssa Lynn Rosales-Stephens, Adrian Delacruz, Shuntaro Shimakura and Isabella Wingrove, Prairie Park Nature Center Sign Project, mentored by Ali Brox and Kelly Kindscher.
Tavin Cook, Logan Littleton and Melanie Mnirajd, Evaluating the Feasibility of HLA-B *15:02 Pharmacogenomic Testing to Guide Carbamazepine Therapeutic Decisions in US Hospital, mentored by Judy Wu.
Eddie Church, Evren Dequincy, Madison Wiley, Callie Roberts, Trevor Boyd and Maggie Grandsire, EcoRadio, mentored by Kelly Kindscher.
Alyssa Marino, Aubrianna Gerdes and Elizabeth Webster, A Scoping Review of Music-Based Intervention Reporting Quality for Biological and Psychological Health Outcomes during Pregnancy in Medical Settings, mentored by Deanna Hanson-Abromeit.
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Contact: Kirsten Bosnak, KU Field Station, 785-864-6267, [email protected], @KUFieldStation

Seven students receive Kansas Biological Survey Student Research Awards for 2024

 

LAWRENCE — The Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research at the University of Kansas has awarded $7,500 in funding this spring for student research to be conducted this year. Seven students will receive assistance through the research center’s 2024 Student Research Awards.

The students’ work covers subjects such as the impact of dry periods in microbial nitrogen processes in streams; influences on wildflower diversity in a quarter-century tallgrass prairie restoration; and planning prescribed burning using drones. During the 2024-2025 academic year, each student will present their research during one of the center’s Friday Ecology Seminars.

The Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research houses a diverse group of ecological research and remote sensing/GIS programs. It also manages the 3,200-acre KU Field Station, a resource for study in the sciences, arts, humanities and professional schools.

“The research these students are doing is exciting, and we’re pleased to provide funding,” said Bryan Foster, who chairs the awards committee. Foster is a KU professor of ecology & evolutionary biology, a senior scientist at the research center and director of the KU Field Station.

The individual awards and their recipients are listed below. Each award is funded through KU Endowment, the independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fundraising and fund-management organization for KU.

The Director’s Award provides support for research conducted by a graduate student. Sarah Flynn, Burlington, Kentucky, doctoral student in ecology & evolutionary biology, was awarded $1,500 in funding for her project, “How do no-flow periods impact microbial N processing in non-perennial streams?” Her adviser is Amy Burgin, professor of ecology & evolutionary biology and a senior scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research.

The Kenneth B. Armitage Award provides support for research conducted by an undergraduate or graduate student at the KU Field Station. Annalise Guthrie, Kansas City, Missouri, doctoral student in ecology & evolutionary biology, was awarded $1,000 in funding for her project, “Topographical controls on forest productivity as a response to climate.” Her adviser is Sharon Billings, University Distinguished Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Dean’s Professor and a senior scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research.

The W. Dean Kettle Conservation Award provides support for research conducted by an undergraduate or graduate student at the KU Field Station in the area of natural resource conservation. David Weiss, Burlington, Vermont, doctoral student in geography, was awarded $1,000 in funding for his project, “Investigating the utility of NEON hyperspectral imagery for KUFS tree canopy classification.” His advisers are Jude Kastens, associate research professor at the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research, and Xingong Li, professor of geography & atmospheric science.

The Mari F. Pesek Award provides support for research conducted by a graduate student at the KU Field Station. Zhenghao Lin, Haining, Zhejiang Province, China, doctoral student in electrical engineering & computer science, was awarded $1,000 in funding for his project, “Safe and smart prescribed burning and planning using sUAS.” His adviser is Haiyang Chao, associate professor of aerospace engineering.

Three students received funding through the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research Awards, which provide support for research conducted by either undergraduate or graduate students. These students, listed below, were awarded $1,000 each.

Kayla Clouse, Farmington Hills, Michigan, doctoral student in ecology & evolutionary biology, was awarded funding for travel to give her presentation, “Maternal parent drives responsiveness to nitrogen-fixing consortium in maize.” Her adviser is Maggie Wagner, assistant professor of ecology & evolutionary biology and an assistant scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research.

Lydia Regier, Lincoln, Nebraska, doctoral student in ecology & evolutionary biology, was awarded funding for her project, “Increasing forb diversity in a 26-year-old tallgrass prairie restoration: the influence of disturbance, propagule addition, and fungal pathogens on community assembly.” Her adviser is Sara Baer, director of the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research and professor of ecology & evolutionary biology.

Yufan Zhou, doctoral student in ecology & evolutionary biology from Urumqi, Xinjiang Province, China, was awarded funding for his project, “The temporal development of plant-soil feedback in perennials and annuals.” His advisers are Maggie Wagner, assistant professor of ecology & evolutionary biology and an assistant scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research, and Jim Bever, Foundation Distinguished Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and a senior scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research.

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Don’t miss new episodes of “When Experts Attack!,”

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Contact: Brendan Lynch, KU News Service, 785-864-8855, [email protected], @BrendanMLynch

Researchers parse oddity of distantly related bats in Solomon Islands that appear identical

 

LAWRENCE — A study of body size in leaf-nosed bats of the Solomon Islands has revealed surprising genetic diversity among nearly indistinguishable species on different islands.

The research team behind the study from the University of Melbourne, Australia, included several evolutionary biologists from the University of Kansas — who collected specimens in the field, conducted genetic analysis and co-wrote the research appearing in the journal Evolution.

“This is genus of bats called Hipposideros with multiple species all over Southeast Asia in the Pacific,” said co-author Rob Moyle, senior curator of ornithology with the KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum, whose lab conducted much of the investigation. “In the Solomon Islands, where we’ve been doing a lot of fieldwork, on each island there can be four or five different species, and they parse out in terms of body size. There’s a small, medium, large — or if there’s more than three species, there’s a small, medium, large and extra large. On one island there’s five, so there’s an extra small.”

According to Moyle, who also serves as professor of evolutionary biology at KU, previous generations of researchers reviewed the bats’ morphology, or physical traits, and concluded they’re one species.

“You go from one island to the next, and the medium-sized species is identical to the other islands,” he said. “Biologists have always looked at those and said, ‘OK, it’s obvious. There’s a small, medium and large size species distributed across multiple islands.’”

However, Moyle and his collaborators had more modern analysis at their disposal. In sequencing the DNA of bats they collected from the field (along with specimens from museum collections), the team found the large and extra large bat species weren’t actually closely related.

“That means that somehow these populations arrived at this identical body size and appearance not by being closely related — but we usually think identical-looking things are that way because they’re really closely related,” Moyle said. “It brings up questions like what’s unique about these islands that you’d have convergence of body size and appearance into really stable size classes on different islands.”

The team performed precise measurements on bats from different islands, confirming previous work by scientists in the Solomon Islands.

“All the large ones from different islands all clustered together in their measurements,” Moyle said. “It’s not just that the earlier biologists made a mistake. They looked at them and said, ‘Oh, yeah, they’re the same.’ And they’re actually not. We measured them, and they’re all clustered together, though they’re different species. We verified — sort of — that earlier morphological work.”

Moyle’s collaborators included lead author Tyrone Lavery of the University of Melbourne and KU’s Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum. Other KU co-authors include Devon DeRaad, doctoral student, and Lucas DeCicco, collections manager, both of the Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum; and Karen Olson of both KU and Rutgers University. They were joined by Piokera Holland of Ecological Solutions Solomon Islands; Jennifer Seddon of James Cook University and Luke Leung of the Rodent Testing Centre in Gatton, Australia.

Genetic analysis that revealed the bats weren’t closely related was performed at KU’s Genome Sequencing Core.

“When we created family trees using the bats’ DNA, we found that what we thought was just one species of large bat in the Solomon Islands was actually a case where bigger bats had evolved from the smaller species multiple times across different islands,” Lavery said. “We think these larger bats might be evolving to take advantage of prey that the smaller bats aren’t eating.”

DeRadd said the work could be “highly relevant” for conservation efforts in identifying evolutionarily significant units in this group.

“Body size had misled the taxonomy,” DeRadd said. “It turns out every island’s population of extra-large bats is basically genetically unique and deserving of conservation. Understanding that is really helpful. There are issues with deforestation. If we don’t know whether these populations are unique, it’s hard to know whether we should be putting effort into conserving them.”

According to DeCicco, the new understanding of leaf-nosed bats was fascinating on a purely theoretical level.

“We study evolutionary processes that lead to biodiversity,” he said. “This shows nature is more complex. We humans love to try to find patterns — and researchers love to try to find rules that apply to broad suites of organisms. It’s super cool when we find exceptions to these rules. These are patterns that you see duplicated over lots of different taxa on lots of different islands — a large and a small species, or two closely related species that differ somehow to partition their niches. We’re seeing there are lots of different evolutionary scenarios that can produce that same pattern.”

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KU News Service

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Lawrence KS 66045

Phone: 785-864-3256

Fax: 785-864-3339

[email protected]

http://www.news.ku.edu

 

Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

 

Today’s News is a free service from the Office of Public Affairs

From the Office of Public Affairs | http://www.news.ku.edu

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Contact: Brendan Lynch, KU News Service, 785-864-8855, [email protected], @BrendanMLynch

Study reports new compound halting replication of COVID by targeting ‘Mac-1’ protein in cell models

LAWRENCE — Research appearing in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry shows for the first time SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, can be inhibited from replicating in living cell cultures using a compound that targets “Mac-1,” a protein key to defending SARS-CoV-2 against the human immune response.

University of Kansas researchers in the lab of Anthony Fehr, associate professor of molecular biosciences at KU, teamed with scientists at the University of Oulu in Finland and McDaniel College in Maryland to test a promising molecule, called “Compound 27,” that specifically inhibits the Mac-1 protein from SARS-CoV-2.

Compound 27 was isolated via a technique called high-throughput screening and then further modified by the Finnish team to target the Mac-1 protein precisely. Then, Fehr’s KU lab tested the modified agent against the virus to gauge its effectiveness.

“Our lab really has analyzed Mac-1 in many ways over the years and laid the foundation that this is a good antiviral target,” Fehr said. “If SARS-CoV-2 doesn’t have this protein, it doesn’t cause disease in mice. So, we believe compounds targeting Mac-1 should protect people from disease.”

Compound 27 appears to be particularly effective against Mac-1. As the team reports in its new paper, “Compound 27 is the first Mac-1-targeted small molecule demonstrated to inhibit coronavirus replication in a cell model.”

“When several of the high-throughput screening hits for Mac-1 inhibitors had the same core scaffold, we realized we had discovered something really promising,” said lead author Lari Lehtiö of the University of Oulu. “Experimental crystal structures showing the detailed binding mode to Mac-1 were a key for designing new analogs, but there was also a component of luck and intuition that helped us to improve the potency of Compound 27. But — the time to actually celebrate was when we got an email from Kansas that the Mac-1 inhibitor indeed repressed SARS-CoV-2 replication.”

Fehr said therapies based on Compound 27 or similar compounds with potential to inhibit Mac-1 someday could join already existing SARS-CoV-2 medications like Remdesivir. What’s more, Mac-1-based therapies could fight emerging coronaviruses beyond SARS-CoV-2.

“There’s a distinct concern within the health and virus communities that other coronaviruses could trigger future pandemics, such as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, which is a major potential threat listed among pathogens with pandemic potential,” he said. “MERS-CoV is somewhat related but distantly compared to SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, there are various coronaviruses that cause the common cold, although they’re very distantly related to SARS-CoV-2.”

Fehr said the question arises: When will one of these viruses evolve into a deadly threat?

“We’re keen on developing coronavirus inhibitors targeting the Mac-1 across multiple coronaviruses,” he said.

An additional benefit of Mac-1 targeted approaches is that coronaviruses seem to have trouble developing adequate resistance.

“It’s a good therapeutic target, because we’re finding evidence that even if it tries to develop resistance, it’s not going to be able to do so very easily,” Fehr said. “Our evidence suggests the resistant viruses would not be able to cause disease.”

For now, Fehr is eager to move the findings into additional coronaviruses to discover if Compound 27 and other related compounds targeting Mac-1 continue to show potential.

“We’re keen to begin developing inhibitors targeting the Mac-1 across multiple coronaviruses,” he said. “Furthermore, we aim to validate these inhibitors through testing in animal models. Currently, we’re validating them in ex vivo cell cultures, but transitioning to in vivo systems would provide a more comprehensive understanding of their efficacy.”

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KU News Service

1450 Jayhawk Blvd.

Lawrence KS 66045

Phone: 785-864-3256

Fax: 785-864-3339

[email protected]

http://www.news.ku.edu

 

Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

 

Today’s News is a free service from the Office of Public Affairs